Walk, Jog, Sprint!
by TiniHaris
Summary: Bargaining is a trivial form of trade these days; yet when your soul is as prized as the ability to walk…well what's in a soul anyways...


**So here we are, new story, and a new first chapter. I'm so excited for you guys to read this. Well enjoy it, and my new character Tawaret: (Tah-wah-ret)**

* * *

Horseshit.

There were thousands of adjectives, adverbs, and other grammatical words to describe her day, yet after only two hours of being awake, that was the mildest way to put it. Perhaps the word could sum up her whole life, especially the three years she spent living in this foreign city. Since forcibly moving a mere 6000 miles to the cold, snowy, mountainous country by the will and fear of her parents she tried to make attempts to fit into the tight knit community, only to find herself further ostracized. Firstly no one could pronounce her name, Tawaret. Though it rolled clearly and neatly off of her native Egyptian tongue others found the combination of words unheard of, leaving her to adopt the much simpler name of Tara for the sake of her classmates and her own sanity. Not only was her name unusual to her surroundings, her features were that of a young 'Queen of the Nile' as her history teacher put it; she hated him so. Though he was somewhat correct as her skin glistened a much richer and deeper pigment as her thick black hair extended down past her shoulders to kiss her lower back. And since her hair dyer was on the fritz this morning her lovely locks retained a mangled mess of waves as she rolled herself through the bustling streets towards her University School. Pausing at the cross light her eyes turned towards the glass window that revealed her frazzled yet angered reflection. Watching the others walk past her in a sense of commonness and normality irritated her. Unlike her counterparts she had an oval face with a defined bone structure on her cheeks and neck giving her a regal appearance. Her plush lips puckered as she awaited the traffic light while her dark brown eyes made their second roll around her eye lined sockets. Oh well, the alleged 'Queen of the Nile' was once again going to be late for class.

Gliding past the pedestrians around her she strode up towards the stone and iron entrance of the campus. Of course she was enrolled in the most prestigious campuses in the city for the most excellent scholars; yet the usual clicks of the brains, nerds, and students who bought their way in left everyone divided. And Tara fit into none of them. Finally she caught her eyes on the building of her ecology class only to rush towards the slowly sliding doors.

"Wait, can you just, leave open the door-augh!" Once again her nimble hands fell short as the door slammed shut in front of her, thudding with a loud click. Oh yes, the word of the day was indeed,

"Horseshit!"

"What a pleasant word to start the morning Tawaret." A gentle voice was heard from behind her. Glancing over her chair her eyes narrowed at the redhead before she let out a casual smirk,

"Well shouldn't the great scholar Suichi Minamino , shouldn't you be in class?" She replied.

The demon in particular let out a charming smile while he walked past Tara, reaching for the door, "Shouldn't we both be in class you mean. Can I get the door for you?"

"I don't need your pity." She snarled with a smile while Kurama reached over her head to pull open the large steel doors.

"Courteously and pity are few and far between." He explained while Tara wheeled into the long stretch of hallways.

"Hmph," Tara tossed her long dark hair from her eyes, "for the last time Minamino I'm-"

"not handicapped, just inconvenienced." He finished for her. Tara looked back over her shoulder before batting her slender eyelashes at the demon fox.

Yes in truth her last and most ostracizing feature would be that she sat in a wheelchair, her body completely handicapped from the waist down.

Tara didn't like to think about it; in fact it doesn't cross her mind often unless met with the stares and gawks from strangers. She was thankful upon moving to this new country that people kept to themselves, save for one pesky classmate she has slowly…very slowly opened up to about small bits of her life. However Kurama knows nothing more than her name and a few 'getting to know you' facts. The mystery surrounding her paralysis has not one of those topics.

The pair strolled together in silence before entering the classroom. Tara took her spot in the front of the classroom while Kurama took an unusual seat in the back of the classroom. Plopping down at his desk he met the disappointed eyes of this professor before they wandered off towards the window.

As well as Tara, Kurama was also glad to be in a place where few knew his name. Graduating his junior high school at the top of his class gave him a first draft pick at his primary school. And naturally he picked the top of the line academy which was a nice five hour train ride from his hometown. It was far enough for his solitary nature, yet he still remained close to his human mother, as well as his odd group of friends in both demon and human world. He still had weekly conversations and visits from Kuwabara who, like Yusuke had predicted so, worked at practitioners office in their home city; though he was still far from the surgeons table as a desk secretary. Also this town was close to a small gap in the demon and human barrier, making it easy for Hiei to stop in every once in a while for an overnight stay. He enjoyed it here, and it was nice to be somewhere where he wasn't stereotyped as the most eligible bachelor. Well, old stereotypes die hard sometimes.

"Oh Suichi!" A bubbliy classmate called from across the room as the class began to shuffle out towards the door, "Wake up sleepyhead!"

The prestigious thief turned scholar was now sleeping in class. What was becoming of him?

"Oh, hello Miko, how are you today?" He asked with a fake smile crossed over his face.

The girl blushed and shook her slender shoulders from side to side before speaking, "I was wondering if you wanted to play tennis today during recreational hour?"

"Oh…um well you see Miko," Kurama scratched nervously at his head before he glanced around the room for a scapegoat. His green orbs darted from object to object until finally settling down on Tara who still remained in the classroom, "…Yes! I'm sorry I actually told Tawaret I would practice...weightlifting with her!"

Miko, as well as Tara shot the fox a strange look before Miko threw her hands on her hips, "Tawa-er Tara doesn't even…you know, have to do recreational hour. I mean you like, don't have to be so nice to her."

His spiritual awareness could sense the rising anger from Tara as she glared down Miko from across the room, her ears were as sharp.

"Well Miko I'm sorry but I can't-"

"Actually that's perfect Suichi!" Tara shouted obnoxiously from her desk before wheeling herself over towards the pair, "Miko's right. After all my poor widdle wrists hurt from using my pencil all morning, I think I'll just relax in the courtyard and just watch. Besides, Miko could really use some exercise."

"What!"

Tara chuckled softly as she rolled herself out the room towards the courtyard. Though she was somewhat friends with the redhead, he was going to have to fend for himself this afternoon, much to her enjoyment.

Strolling through the corridors her eyes glanced down at her slanted legs that sat in her chair. They looked so weak, hanging limp on her body like a pair of loose strands that didn't belong. If Miko had spoken to her in her prime, well needless to say that she wouldn't have a mouth to speak from anymore. The past three years of her life had felt as though she was still locked in her coma, trapped in a broken body, waiting to wake up and run away.

Finally making to the courtyard she stared at the other students run around, jump, kick, wiggle their toes, swing their legs. The careless motions of their bodies made her sick, and even more determined to prove herself, and everyone else wrong. There was no way she would be stuck in this body forever; three years were enough recovery time. She was going to attempt it today.

Wheeling over towards the weightlifting corner her eyes cast upon a swinging rope that hung sturdily from the iron support beams. She watched students climb up on the rope, touching their hands to the tope to signal their victory. This would be the perfect pulley system for her. Shaking out her hands she gingerly wrapped the around the rope before giving it a hard tug.

"Nice and sturdy," she spoke aloud before she glanced down at her legs, "alright, now lets shake the dust off of these old things."

With a heavy tug she slowly arched her body up as her but slowly rose from the chair. A thick beam of sweat dripped down her face as she clung to the rope, each inch of her body rising grew more stressful on her arms as she finally began to rotate the weight on her left foot.

"Steady," She growled in pain as she slowly began to drop the weight from her arms to her feet, "steady, please."

From across the courtyard Kurama and Miko finished up their uneventful and untactful flirty game of tennis, much to Kurama's boredom. Miko huffed while she tossed her hips in her tennis uniform, another unsuccessful win for tennis as well as her manhunt.

"Well Suichi perhaps we can play again tomo-what the hell is Tara doing?!"

Kurama looked up from the court before he set eyes on Tara's dangerous stance. He could see the heavy strain on her chest and feel her energy wavering around her body. He watched her aura wave around her body before a soft, yet noticeable rise of spirit energy floated around her as she began to rest the majority of her weight on her shaking legs.

"Unbelievable." The fox whispered as he watched her only to gasp aloud as Tara let out a gasp of pain. Across the courtyard Tara had released her hands from the rope as she stood on her two legs. Her smile of joy faded as the moment the wind shifted and her legs seemed to crack under the weight, causing her body to come crashing to the ground. Landing with a thud her body shook the ground around her, sending a cast of weights tumbling over to fall on top of her. Tara looked up at the weights as if they were falling in slow motion, only to let out a scream before her arms crossed over her body. Her upper half tensed for the upcoming blows only to pause as she felt no pummeling on her chest and face. Surprisingly she felt the cool breeze on her arms and the strange, yet comforting scent of roses.

Tara opened her eyes before taking in the blinding sunlight. Glancing over to her side she was not laying on the floor of the weight room corner, but rather she tucked in the arms of her only friend, Suichi.

"Wha?" Tara asked while she slowly started to focus on what exactly happened in the seconds before she was supposed to be crushed.

"Wait Tara, just relax." Kurama hushed her gently while his arm still remained locked around Tara's body. Slowly he raised her body to a sitting position as a crowd of students slowly started to form around her. Tara stared glanced over at the stares and whisper words from her classmates, causing her arms to pull into her chest before pushing away from Kurama's grip.

"Let me go."

"But Tara you are in no shape to-"

"I said get off!" She snarled before she nervously glanced around for her wheelchair only to realize it was about 50 feet away across the courtyard, and shattered into pieces by the weights. How did he catch her, and carry her all the way over here in mere seconds?

Kurama could sense her discomfort as the stares and whispers caught her ears. Carefully he picked up the frantic girl before heading over towards the nurses office, "Yes Tawaret that was a close call. Now let's get you to the nurses office."

"Put me down, I'm fine! I said let go of me." Tara growled as she tried to push her way out of the bridal grip that Kurama held her in.

"Don't worry." Kurama reassured her as they walked through the open door towards the hallway, "I have no intentions of staying here long."

Once they reached the empty nurses room with the spare wheelchair Tara finally landed a shove on the demons chest before taking a deep, non calming breath, "What the hell was that for?"

"Perhaps I should ask the same question."

Tara huffed while her fingers wrapped around the comforting steel wheels of the new chair. Closing her eyes she took another deep breath, this time holding in the oxygen in an attempt to calm her rushing nerves.

"You could have hurt yourself out there Tawaret," Kurama chastised while running his hand through his long red locks, "doing something like that without supervision is dangerous. Perhaps you should wait until-"

"Wait?" Tara gawked, her mouth hanging open wide as she attempted to process her classmates words, "I have waited THREE YEARS, wishing everyday that my body would show an inkling of life only to find myself…stuck in this, trap!"

Kurama tilted his head to the side, "Three years, but I thought you were born,"

"No," She cut him off again with a deep breath. Throwing her hands down at her legs she pulled up her dark jeans to reveal a jagged scar that spread across her calf and ankle,"I could walk like you, and run and jump and kick and shake my…my damn feet to music until three years ago when someone took that away from me. And now people look at me like I'm some kind of botched human being!"

Kurama let out a sigh before drawing his hand to his chin, "That's not true Tara. Try…and stay positive. Like you said you're not handicapped you're inconvenienced."

"Oh cut the shit Suichi." She scoffed while she wheeled herself towards the door, "I'm an inconvenience to everyone. To you, to this school, my classmates, Mika. I'm an inconvience to myself!" Taking in her final deep breath she reached towards the handle of the door while giving it a strong tug, "Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go walk-WHEEL off some steam."

"Shall I accompany you?"

"Please don't." She spoke bluntly, "Just leave me alone."

With that she flexed her wrists before pushing herself out of the room towards the hallway and the freedom of the outdoors. Yet even in the open air she still found herself trapped within her chair, and her own body.

* * *

Hours had passed until Tara paused her wheels before rubbing at her sore wrists and fingers. For the entire afternoon and early evening she had pushed herself all around town, reaching all areas of north and south, east and west and whatever was in between. When she was younger a simple walk made her feel safe and secure. Now in her worn state she still managed to get out for a long stroll around wherever, this time leaving her hands tired rather than her feet. Glancing over at the sky she watched the crest of the sun dip below the harbor waters as she strolled along the concrete path that spiraled around the waters of the bay. In truth, she didn't have an exact idea of where she was, but this sure beat going back to school or even going back home. Of course she loved her off campus apartment, and the privacy she had there, yet she was still plagued by on the hour phone calls from her parents back home in Egypt or the constant calls from the doorman asking if she got up okay, or if she made it to the sink to brush her teeth without hurting herself. She was not a fragile flower as everyone thought she was. And she had no desire to sit in this chair for much longer; she will try again, tonight, tomorrow, and the next day until she can walk again.

Turning off of the path on the harbor she strolled down a row of warehouses. Perhaps not the place she'd want to go while by herself and not in the best, 'condition' to be wheeling away from things. In an attempt to find her way out of the shipyard she turned a corner before abruptly pausing at the sight before her. Her eyes stared intently with awe as a man in a dark jacket stood twirling two balls of light in between his long slender fingers. Tara watched him for a few minutes until her wheelchair accidently rocked on a loose board before a large snap echoed across the walls of the shipyard. The man leaning against the warehouse walls looked up with a charming smile.

"Well hello there." He spoke, the words dripping from his mouth like silk, "Shouldn't girls like you be at home."

Tara let out a snarl while she cautiously wheeled herself towards the man in the dark blue business suit, "What do you mean by that?"

He chuckled softly, still twirling the balls in his hands, "I mean what is a young girl doing by herself in a shipyard?"

"Oh," Tara blushed while resting her hands on her lap, "I thought you meant I was weak,"

"When I see someone approach a stranger with such confidence, weakness is the last thing that I see." The man smiled while tipping his velvet black hat towards Tara.

"What are those in your hands?" She asked while her eyes panned over to the glowing orbs.

"Well I am glad you asked," He spoke with charm, "I'm a spiritual man and these are my souls."

Tara's head jerked back, "Souls?"

"Indeed." He nodded to her, "Beautiful things they are. They are the souls of a man and his beautiful wife."

"Souls aren't real!" Tara tried to sound confident in her voice, hoping that she could reaffirm to herself that this man was indeed crazy.

The man smirked while he flexed his palm, watching the two glow orbs hover in the air before circling around his arm. Tara watched him shock while her own hands began to twitch nervously in her lap.

"See, believe me now?" He asked with a sly smile.

"Well, if they belong to someone…why do you have them?"

"Excellent question; my, you are so smart! I am a spiritual man but I'm also a business man. These two lucky ones traded their soul for eternal wealth. And in the end let's say we both got our rewards."

"Who would trade their…their souls for such things?" Tara asked in disgust as she continued to stare at the orbs.

The man wiggled his feet in his patent leather shoes before taking a soft few steps towards Tara. His hands once again flexed before they hovered over Tara's nibble legs, "You will be surprised what people will do for what they desire."

With that a red glow of energy poured from his fingers, attaching themselves to Tara's leg. The girl jerked in her seat as she felt an intrusive, yet energizing bolt to her body. It felt sensational, coursing through her blood like wildfire. Suddenly she felt a strange sensation that had explored to the lower end of her body. Glancing over at her feet her eyes twinkled at the sight of her once dormant feet, now rotating in gentle circles. For the first time in years she could feel the tiny weight of her jeans on her legs and the comforts of her brown shoes snuggle against her toes. Each pulse of blood that coursed through her body was pounding to the beat of her heart and ringing in her ears. Taking her first stretch she slowly rotated her foot forward, kicking it for the first time in years.

Yet as the moment of ecstasy felt like hours, the red energy around her legs slowly began to fade, as well as the feeling of life in her limbs. Staring up at the main the suit her eyes slowly began to water, "What do you want?"

The man grinned, "Your soul of course."

Instinctually she drew her hands to her chest, only to glance up as the man chuckled at her.

"My dear it's not permanent. What I did for the couple, as same as you is merely ask for your promise. I give you my energy to walk again and you give me your soul when you die."

"You're not going to kill me when I 'promise' my soul to you, are you?" Tara asked while she raised an eyebrow.

"No, why pick a fruit before it's ripe. Enjoy your new powers, but just remember. This deal is permanent." At the end of his words he extended his hand to Tara in a shake. Tara stared down his hand as if it was a sharp knife sealing her fate. This was all so strange to her, yet she saw it for herself. She could move her feet! Whoever this guy was, spiritual man, angel, witch doctor, whatever! This was her opportunity, and this was her route to escape.

"There aren't any side effects besides losing my soul is there?" She joked with a smile.

The man nearly shrugged his shoulders, "Oh the simple coughing, sneezing, decreased appetite etc. Now tell me, do we have a deal?"

Taking a deep breath she paused, taking into account the events of the evening one final time before she threw her hand into the strange man's, sealing their pact in a final grip.

Just as before the sudden bolt of energy returned to her body, this time more powerful and dominant than the last; though she felt the coursing feeling and powerful energy rushing through her system, she also felt a tug and pull in her chest. Perhaps her spirit was something tangible after all. Still, it didn't matter to her; a deal was a deal. Her legs were something she could see, and could feel.

After a few sharp painful moments the energy and tugging subsided in her core as she opened her eyes, immediately staring down at her legs. All felt normal, or relatively the same from moments ago. Her plush lips puckered as she slowly focused her mind towards her legs.

'okay,' she whispered softly in her mind, 'let's do this'.

Perhaps she had gotten ahead of herself; focusing all her energy she pressed onto her feet, surprised that her own dormant strength toppled her over out of her wheelchair onto the cold wooden docks. Her knees buckled, stinging slightly in pain; Tara loved that sensation. Slowly she braced her hands on the dock as she pressed her weight back to her palms to give her body a slow rise to her feet. She feared that she would topple over like she had done hours before, yet within mere seconds she was completely upright, on her own two feet. It was pure ecstasy.

Tara gasped allowed as her face flushed red with excitement. Staring down at her feet she rolled up her pant leg, surprised as her deep gashes and scars were also replaced with fresh soft skin.

"But-" She stammered only to stop as the man chuckled while tipping his hat once again.

"I decided it would be best to do an external touch up as well."

"This is, this," Tara stammered once again while rolling her feet and ankles. Her mind couldn't process the correct word to describe this emotion. Rather she shifted the weight of her feet on her left foot while turning in a perfect pirouette.

"Just like last time!" She spoke aloud while in mid turn, "Oh I don't know how to thank you I just- oh!"

While she finished her turn she landed perfectly back on her two feet only to pause as her mystery healer hand vanished in the few seconds she turned away from him. Circling around she looked up at the rooftops to the corners of the harbor, yet no sign of him.

"Strange." She mumbled to herself while her hands ran through her coarse dark hair. But who was she kidding, she could move again! Staring down at her feet she wiggled them once again in her shoes before turning towards the city behind her. This was her window of opportunity to run away, literally, and start over fresh. No more stares, downcast eyes, overprotective parents and doormen and neighbors. And especially, no more prep school. Doing a short hop on her feet she broke out into a heavy sprint, heading straight back towards town for one last time.

From atop a swaying crane a pair of dark blue eyes stared down at the young girl while she ran off in the distance towards the city. Crossing his arms over his chest his smile deepened, twisting into a smirk of demonic pleasure. The moon peeled itself from the clouds giving a slight illumination to the man, revealing himself to be the mysterious healer. Closing his eyes he spoke aloud to the open night.

"Everything went according to plan." He spoke.

A faceless voice erupted around the crane, much to the man's pleasure, _"Good work Ceil."_ The masculine voice answered, _"You were right about her, she is the Quintessence we've been looking for. And who would have guessed it be nothing more than a lame gullible human. The Spirit World won't detect a thing."_

Ceil nodded, "Thank you master. During the extraction the seed was planted inside of her. It will only take a matter of weeks before it consumes her completely, and then she will be under our control."

"_Yes,"_ The voice answered, _"Ceil I believe we have finally found our Aether Element."_

* * *

It was the greatest feeling she had ever felt, tiredness. Her body ached slightly as she was unsure how many miles she ran towards her old apartment building. She stood across the street in the dark shadows, staring at the doorman by the front entrance. She knew him very well, yet now that she was standing upright he probably wouldn't recognize her at all. And she wasn't going to let him discover her miracle walking, and tell the world of her speedy recovering. In fact, the idea of expanding that 'strange man healed me in turn for my soul' would probably not go down well.

Avoiding that route in her fate she darted across the street towards the side of the building to her bedroom window on the first floor. Well, perhaps this would be a good time to test out her kicking skills. With a deep breath she arched back her foot before swinging her leg into the window, surprised that she not only landed the kick, but blew out the whole window from its frame.

"Damn," She commented while staring down at her feet. One would think someone in a wheelchair for three years would be weak but she had the energy as if she was a trained kicking boxing champion. Perhaps this was one of the perks of selling your soul. Well, whatever. She didn't have time to think about that now; someone could have heard the crash and could be running over to find her now, even though this was her apartment.

Jumping through the window she stared at her dark room before switching on the lights. Reaching over to her bedpost she grabbed a black duffle bag and tossed it to the middle of the room. Staring at her closet she frowned at all of her clothes; if she was going to start anew, perhaps she should have a new wardrobe, better yet she needed a whole new identity. Dropping the items she had held in her hands she turned towards her vanity mirror, swinging open the drawers in search of something. With a smile she pulled out a sharp, glistening pair of scissors before she fastened her hair in a tight ponytail. With a simple swipe of her hands her long dark hair serrated through her locks, bringing her back length hair to a short, messy bob that cut just below her chin. Well it wasn't the best haircut, but it would have to do. Looking back into her drawers she pulled out another small black bag before unzipping it and spilling out the contents on her dresser top. She was glad her parents back home didn't understand the Japanese language to use banks, and she didn't spend any of their allowances anyways. Glancing down at the money she bundled it back into the bag before tossing into the duffle on the floor. Flipping off her shoes and clothing from earlier that morning she slipped into a dark pair of pants and a long oversized sweater over her body, who needed shoes anyways! She glanced back at the mirror one last time at her new reflection. She still looked the same, yet she felt so different, a stranger in her own mirror. However this stranger was more enticing, stronger and able bodied than her old self. It was time to leave her old life, wheelchair and all behind.

Before she could turn and head out the broken window her body suddenly hitched as her breath caught in her throat. Heaving over her desk she let out a few harsh violent coughs before calming her body down with her panting breath. The feeling, as painful as it was came and went f through her system quickly, leaving Tara confused as she once again glanced up at the mirror. Her eyes focused to her lips in the reflection as a small amount of black liquid stained her face. Taking her hand to her mouth she wiped off the strange liquid; she could honestly say that this was something completely new to her. Rubbing it into her fingers a few times she grimaced before wiping the remainder off on her dresser. Well, the mysterious man did say there were side effects, and I'm sure it fell under the coughing/sneezing aspect. And besides, she had a new life to get on with!

Brushing her hair back one more time she turned for her duffle bag before darting out the window for good, never to return to that apartment, school ground, or city ever again.

Across town another creature stirred around the empty streets, his dark green eyes wandering aimlessly from sidewalk to building, to street bench etc. Kurama was once again lost in his own mind. The events of the day left him unsettled and confused; two things the fox never was or liked to be. Tara's strange energy from the school yard still left his mind wondering about her true nature; what if she too had a sense of spirit energy just like Yusuke and Kuwabara. Also the realization of her scars on her legs, as well as the fact she was once able bodied before surrendering herself to a wheelchair. Of course he was a curious creature by nature, and the idea that she was so short with him was unsettling.

"Silly thoughts," He spoke to himself aloud in an attempt to ease his mind; though he still thought of it for the next hour. He was a plant demon, a healer in his demon world. Perhaps, if he really wanted to, maybe he himself could heal her. Though the thought alone was extremely taboo for any demon to interfere with the lives of humans…well, it wasn't like he was a law abiding citizen in his past life.

Turning the corner he glanced over at Tara's apartment, his senses picking up a strange foreign smell. Everything seemed normal, no signs of foul play. However as he turned to the side of the apartment he glanced over the shot out window and broken glass, prompting him to immediately jump into the holed wall to the scene before him. It was Tara's room. He could smell the hanging fragments of her scent lingering on the bed, closet, and carpet. However the disheveled closet, open drawers and wad of hair on the floor was more than suspicious to the young fox. Taking a few steps towards the dresser his slender index finger slid over the wooden top, picking up the slimy black liquid Tara had regurgitated only hours before. Giving it a soft smell the fox's eyes widened; the scent was completely demonic, yet also a smell he hadn't picked up in decades. Glancing around to Tara's wheelchair tucked away in the corner only led the fox to believe one thing; she had been kidnapped.

* * *

Running had never felt so liberating to the young girl in all of her years. She decided to stride away from the highway and break off into the thick, remote forests on her mad dash to freedom. She didn't know where she was going, nor did she particularly care at all. She was going to run until she was tired, or until she found a bustling city to explore her new legs in, as weird and provocative as that sounded. Not only was she walking again, she was also very agile and nimble; dodging braches, balancing on one foot while hopping over tree limbs and roots. The feeling was amazing. While running her eyes glanced over a small boulder in the distance. Well what better time to practice some hurdling. As she approached the rock her body braced itself before taking into the air in an attempt to jump over the stone. Yet she was very surprised as he whole body jerked forward, sending her flying upwards into the open air over twenty feet high into the night sky.

Meanwhile deep in the forested area Hiei had begun to regret ever agreeing to monthly visits with Kurama, Yukina, and the others. He was almost positive he had left the human world for good. Yet his tie to his sister as well as his so called 'best friend' had left him grounded, bored and miserable every time when he came to this earth to mingle with the humans. And Kurama was not his best friend, they were just allies to clear up any mishap.

Stretching his legs across the highest tree branch in the forest his eyes glanced over the serene, quiet view before him. This was perhaps the tiny, miniscule thing he liked, no…tolerated about the human world. It was indeed quiet at night. No demons killing other demons, screams of terror or pleasure, just the simple sound of the trees. Taking in a deep, calming breath his eyes slowly began to fade before jolting widen open to a scream from a young human girl. Turning his head towards the noise he had thought he had gone mad as a young human was practically soaring through the air before thudding on the cold hard ground.

He should have investigated, he should have jumped down to see what that girl was doing or if she was being chased by a wandering demon. However the last time he recalled he was fired from being the apart of the Spirit Detectives, and he was a powerful demon lord now. He had a title and respect in his homeland, minions to do his bidding, and he was the defending champion of the Dark Tournament and Demon World Unification finalist. All that being said ultimately meant, that he couldn't care less at all.

Humans were such a strange, stupid, horribly balanced species anyways.

Tara stretched her sore back before staring down at her legs. Did that just happen? Did she really jump over 20 feet in the air with a mere flex of her feet. Taking a few calming breaths she brought her knees to her chest. She paused while rubbing her chin over her throbbing knees before slowly crawling back onto her feet. She didn't want to think about it anymore; it was just a side effect, just a side effect.

Her eyes searched the dark before she saw a fragment of light from a nearby highway. Perhaps she should get back on the road. Running towards the light she crawled over the highway rails before staring at a street sign.

"Next city, 20 kilometers away," She read aloud while glancing down at her stomach. Well she wasn't tired, but hungry was a different story. Perhaps she should have traded her soul for a smaller stomach. Turning towards the direction of the sign she jogged on the road, hoping to reach civilization and a good noodle house soon.

See you next chapter! Rate and Review!

* * *

**Next Time:**

**Tara laid on the sidewalk grounds before slowly bringing her body up to her knees. She was still unsure of what, or who she ran into, yet as her eyes focused she stared down a young adult in dark pants and an orange jacket.**

"**Well, HELLO!" He spoke with a snarl causing Tara to wince.**

"**Sorry," She mumbled softly, "I wasn't watching where I was going."**

**The boy extended a hand down to her which she gratefully accepted, though she was surprised his strength pulled her right to her feet in a swift move, "Well be careful before you run into a real angry person." **

"**And you're the nice guy?" She responded with a smirk. Looking over his dark black hair she glanced at the noodle shop sign with a smile, "Do you work here?"**

"**Yeah well it's closed, after all its not 2am or anything." He responded.**

"**I have a bottle of sake and 5,000,000yen." Tara countered while puckering her lips. **

**The boys eyes widened, "Well in that case step on in and let's fix you up some food Ms…what's your name?" **

"**Tawaret." She responded only to frown as the boy gave her a strange look, "Just call me Tara. I'm not from here."**

"**I guess they don't wear shoes in your home country either." He chuckled while pulling open the gates to the noodle shop, "My names Yusuke."**

**It was the beginning of a very interesting night.**


End file.
